This paper provides a context for recruiting, training, and promoting non-family managers on large farm businesses. Design/methodology/approach - Observing the process of training and recruiting non-family members for management positions on large farms in Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, could provide an example for farm businesses owners in the United States who have not identified a family member as management successor. Findings - Large farm businesses have an opportunity to train key employees from within, for positions that lead to overall management. Recruiting and training a management successor is a multi-year process that requires significant effort.